A CONCEPT OF SPACE AND TIME AS PERCEPTIONS EVOLVED
FROM A SINGLE QUANTIZED ENTITY IN NATURE

Robert Brison

Abstract

I have hypothesized that a single quantized entity in nature inevitably led
to the evolution of two very different perceptions: time and space. I will call this entity “tise” and its quanta “tisons.” If
we could observe tisons, they would appear to travel in a straight line at the
velocity of light. In this concept, tisons are the carriers of all
electromagnetic energy. The energy quanta exchange among tisons whenever the
energy is redirected in any way. Although conceptually very different from the
spacetime of Einstein's relativity theories, the tise concept is, I submit,
internally consistent and may not conflict with either relativity theory in
respect to predictability. This concept could ultimately lead to a unified
theory of physics by eliminating the fundamental conflict between general
relativity and quantum mechanics and by permitting background-independent
formulation of string theory.

Introduction

This paper is not written in the
language of science, i.e. mathematics. However, according to Sachs (p.3), “… it
is a lesson of the history of science that the pace of progress in the
development of the mathematical language of science has never kept up with the
pace of progress in our discoveries of scientific concepts.”

I am neither a physicist nor a mathematician, but a retired engineer with a
long-time interest in the nature of space, time and gravitation. I arrived at
this novel concept of space and time in 1985 and submitted manuscripts on the subject to Physical
Review Letters in 1991 and to Nature in 1993. Both were rejected.

In 1991, I met and corresponded with a noted physicist, Asim O. Barut (1926-1994). He wrote, in part:

“I do not see anything wrong with entertaining the concept. But as a working
physicist I do not know what to do with it. Should we reformulate physical
theories? If you could formulate a bit more concretely (and possibly
mathematically) how we can use the concept, I think it might lead to something.”

I have now developed the concept more concretely, but the mathematics
would be far beyond my capability and I suspect might be challenging even for a
mathematical physicist.

By publishing this on the web, I hope to make the concept available to those
physicists and philosophers of science who may be receptive to considering this paradigm-nonconforming view of space and time. I was encouraged in this pursuit by Brian Greene's book “The Fabric of the Cosmos,” in which he stresses the critical importance of striving for a fundamental understanding of space and time in order to resolve the incompatibility between large- and small-scale physics. He states, for example, (p.6) that "fully understanding space and time has become physics' most daunting problem..." And in Mendel Sachs' web site, Sachs writes: “I strongly believe that it is
essential to resolve this problem of the dichotomy between the quantum and relativity theories
before we can make any genuine progress in physics.”

People have long puzzled over the basic nature of space and time. The
philosopher Kant proposed over 200 years ago that space and time do not really
exist but are “intuitions” or perceptions imposed by our own minds. In the early
1900s, Minkowski and Einstein found that space and time are interchangeable and
replaced them with spacetime for rigorous scientific purposes. In 1986, Szamosi
discussed in vivid detail how the perceptions of space and time evolved from the
beginning attempts of primitive life forms to make sense of their world to
become the modern firmly entrenched ideas of space and time. In this paper, I describe a
specific concept of the nature of the source of our space and time perceptions,
along with some of the concept's implications, in the hope that others, much
more qualified than I am, will pursue the conceptual and mathematical
development.

The Concept

Space and time are great inventions of the mind to help it comprehend the
world, at least in the scale range of our experience. But what could be the
source in nature that led to the evolutionary development of these two
tenacious and extremely useful perceptions? I have hypothesized that a
single entity in nature , which, for convenient reference, I will call “tise,” underlies both of these perceptions. Tise is all of
what we perceive as space and time. Tise is comprised of infinitesimally small
quanta, which I will call “tisons.” I introduce the words “tise”
(from TIme SpacE) and “tison” reluctantly, but necessarily, because tise is
conceptually very different from the spacetime of modern physics.

If we could somehow observe tisons, they would appear to us to travel in a
straight line at the speed of light. In a sense, we can observe them as light
rays, which, in this concept, are comprised of energized tisons. (To be more
precise in reference to this concept, I should use the term “speed of tisons” rather
than “speed of light," but will stay with the latter, more familiar, term.)

Although tise is based on probability rather than determinism, it may not
conflict with the predictability of relativity theory as discussed later, and,
on a small scale, it may ultimately offer a solution to the need for
background-independent formulation of string theory.

In this concept, tisons are the carriers of light and all other
electromagnetic energy. A light photon, for example, may then be considered as a
string of tisons energized by a quantum of light. Neutrinos, in this concept,
also consist of energized tisons. Although tisons are too small to ever be
detected, we can visualize tise simply by seeing light in a new and radically
different way. Instead of thinking of light as energy quanta emitted from a
source such as a lamp, we can visualize it as energy quanta transferred from the
source to the innumerable tisons passing through the source in every direction.
Tise, then, is what radiates throughout the universe, and radiant energy is
composed of energized tisons. Electromagnetic energy then has no inherent
velocity and the term “radiation” takes on a different meaning. It is tise that
radiates; energy gets a free ride.

In the generation of electromagnetic waves by an antenna, whenever a charged
particle is accelerated, it is said to radiate energy. In the tise concept, it
simply releases energy to tisons passing through in all directions.

This question naturally arises: how can tisons be carriers of energy if
tisons appear to travel in straight lines at the velocity of light while energy
is so easily redirected, slowed or absorbed? In this concept, energy quanta
exchange among tisons whenever the energy is redirected by any means, such as
reflection, refraction, diffraction or dispersion. The tisons maintain their
directions as the energy transfers to other tisons having the new directions of
the energy quanta, or as the energy quanta are slowed or absorbed while passing
through any form of matter. Just as certain electromagnetic energy (e.g. light)
quanta are released by matter and, in this concept, transferred to tisons
passing through, other arriving energy quanta are absorbed by matter.

If space and time are not part of nature, why do we perceive them? As
the brain evolved various perceptions of energy such as color and "solid" matter,
it also evolved the perceptions of tise as space and time. Assuming that the
tise concept is valid, I cannot imagine any different result of evolution of its
perception in conscious beings with senses such as ours. Certainly, because such
beings could not sense tise or tisons in any way, evolutionary development of
direct perception of the nature of tise would be impossible.

Because of our ingrained evolved perceptions, it is not easy for us to
visualize space and time, on a small scale, as different perceptions of a single entity. However, let us consider that we have no difficulty in
thinking of the distance to a star in a time-related term, i.e. light-years.

Tise is, of course, entirely different from the discredited static ether
concept of old. Tise is the dynamic fabric of the universe. In the following
text, I will discuss the tise concept as not only an alternative to the concept
of spacetime, but also as a quantized modification of both special and general
relativity.

Although the tise concept may be indistinguishable from the relativity
theories in respect to predictability, there are two fundamental differences
between them. One is that the spacetime of relativity was derived mathematically
not from any basis in mind-independent nature but rather from the evolved
perceptions of space and time, whereas, conversely, the tise concept is based on
the hypothesis that tise is the source in nature of those evolved
perceptions. The other difference is, of course, that relativity is based on
determinism whereas tise is probabilistic.

The tise concept, incidentally, conforms to Occam's razor, one translation of
which is: “One should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of
entities required to explain anything.” This concept requires only a single
entity to explain the nature of our space and time perceptions. Even spacetime
requires two entities (space and time) for its derivation.

In this concept, since all electromagnetic radiation is energized tisons, the
somewhat abstract concept of electromagnetic field might be replaced by the more
concrete concept of electromagnetically energized tise. In any case, Maxwell's equations, as well as many other basic equations of
physics, would need to be reformulated, for basic science purposes, to obviate the perceptions of
space and time, which are incorporated in existing formulations.

I do not mean to imply that the concepts of space, time and spacetime should
be excluded from all scientific studies. However, in the search for the ultimate
unification of physics, I submit that space, time and even spacetime, as
perception-based concepts outside the scope of mind-independent nature, should
be put aside.

I submit that Einstein might have arrived at this tise concept if he had not
been so sure that “God does not play dice”, and if he had considered more fully
the role of evolution of the brain in perceptions of nature. Indeed, he appears
to have come close to the tise concept in his statement:

“But it must now be remembered that there is an infinite number of spaces,
which are in motion with respect to each other .The concept of space as
something existing objectively and independent of things belongs to
pre-scientific thought, but not so the idea of an infinite number of spaces
in motion relative to each other. The latter idea is logically unavoidable,
but is far from having played a considerable role even in scientific thought.”
(Einstein, p.139, my italics.)

If Einstein had just thought instead of “the idea of an infinite number of
quanta of the source of our space and time
perceptions, in relative motion to each other,” he may soon have achieved
his goal of a unified theory.

Tise and Special Relativity

Although the tise concept is quite different from Einstein's understanding of
the nature of space and time, a particular characteristic of tise makes it clear
that the tise concept would have no effect on Einstein's lucid arguments and
important conclusions regarding special relativity, other than the space and
time terminology. That highly relevant feature of tise is that, under the
idealized conditions of special relativity, tisons and their associated energy
are inseparable, and hence light can be considered a perfect tracer for tisons
under these conditions. I suggest, therefore, that Einstein's special relativity
conclusions on light apply equally well in this tise concept, except that, in
this case, his observations and conclusions are attributable to the source of
our space and time perceptions (tise), and light is simply a convenient tracer.

Incidentally, this concept makes it obvious why energy quanta emitted from
matter immediately assume “the speed of light” and why all
electromagnetic radiation has the same apparent speed regardless of its
wavelength or the motion of the source. The apparent speed of light is, in this
concept, a property of tisons and not of electromagnetic energy released by a
source. The following section explains why the speed of light is also
independent of the observer in this concept.

Tise Symmetry

I need to introduce here the idea of tise symmetry. Spherical symmetry of
tise exists at any point in tise if the directional distribution of tisons is
completely random (i.e. uniform, considering the extremely large number of
tisons involved). I submit that tise always maintains spherical symmetry at
every point (except possibly under extreme conditions such as a black hole). As
discussed later, a body always remains in symmetrical tise unless acted on by an
external force. In the case of a rotating body, the constituent parts undergo
acceleration and are therefore not in symmetrical tise, but the body as a whole
is, again assuming no external force. In the tise concept, tise symmetry (rather
than absolute spacetime) is the basis for determining whether a body is
accelerating.

Because all inertial observers exist in symmetrical tise regardless of their
velocity, tisons would always pass through them in every direction at the speed
of light. The speed of light would therefore be the same in every direction for
every observer.

Although tise is spherically symmetrical, its dynamic nature provides a more
graphic alternative to our perception of the arrow of time. Tise may be
visualized as consisting of an almost infinite number of adjacent spherical
layers of tisons, approaching, or receding from, an inertial observer at the
speed of light. Those receding tisons we perceive as the past, and those
approaching, the future.

The present laws of physics do not distinguish past from future. For example,
they do not explain why spilling a cup of coffee cannot simply be reversed. In
the tise concept, however, it is clear that there is no possible reversal
of the direction of tisons, and the same point in tise cannot be reconstituted.

For the same reason, although I would not want to discourage the many
devotees of time travel, I submit that such an interesting adventure would not
be possible within this concept. The tisons at any point in tise disperse in
every direction at the speed of light, never to reassemble.

Tise and General Relativity

In idealized outer space, infinitely far from matter and in the absence of
any external force, the path of a particle in tise would correspond to the
concept of uniform motion in a straight line. But what about gravity? According
to general relativity, spacetime is affected by matter, and gravitation is
described in a series of differential equations involving the curvature of
spacetime.The tise concept would not, I suggest, conflict with general
relativity in respect to gravitational behavior. Any mass or energy approaching
Earth, for example, would follow the same trajectory in tise as it would in
spacetime. In the tise concept, as in general relativity, gravitation is not a
force and is not considered as acceleration. A body near Earth simply remains in
symmetrical tise unless subjected to an external force such as that imposed by contact with
the Earth's surface.

In the tise concept, however, a simpler alternative explanation of
gravitation, with a physical basis , is available. I have hypothesized
that gravitation might be attributable to annihilation of tisons by matter at a
rate proportional to mass. In this case, also, I foresee no conflict with
general relativity in respect to the behavior of matter or energy.

Let us consider Earth's gravity, for example. The depletion of tisons by
matter would cause a deficiency of tisons departing Earth, resulting in apparent
acceleration of symmetrical tise toward Earth. Matter near Earth therefore
appears to accelerate toward it to remain in symmetrical tise, i.e. to equalize
tison distribution. Similarly, matter near the Sun, including Earth, appears to
accelerate toward it to maintain tise symmetry.

Gravitation in the tise concept would be consistent with the existence of
black holes. A very small fraction of the tisons entering Earth, or even the
Sun, would be annihilated, but in the case of a black hole, all would be
annihilated because of the combination of sufficient mass and density.
Therefore, no tisons, and consequently no energy or information, could emerge.

In this concept, there is no need for the existence of gravitons. Indeed, the
tise concept would predict their nonexistence. However, waves of tise may well
exist and may have the same effect as the postulated gravity waves

I suggest that a mathematical analysis of tise will eventually show that tise
will yield the same predicted outcome of the Gravity Probe B experiment
regarding frame dragging as does general relativity.

Tise and String Theory

Greene (p. 486-8) has stressed the need for a background-independent
formulation of string theory, a formulation in which string theory does not
exist in a background of space or time or even spacetime. Might string theory
possibly incorporate strings of tisons traveling at the speed of light, but
comprising tise rather than existing in a background of space
and time or spacetime?

Presumably, because of the immense electromagnetic wavelength spectrum, the
number of tisons involved in transmission of different energy quanta would vary
greatly, and the tisons associated with each energy quantum might be considered
as string bits. Smolin (p.164) refers to imagining “a string going by at very
nearly the speed of light. It would appear to contain a set of discrete
elements, each of which carries a certain fixed amount of momentum.”

According to Greene (p. 487-8), “Many researchers consider the development of
a background-independent formulation to be the single greatest unsolved problem
facing string theory.” The tise concept, when developed mathematically, would
appear to offer a solution to that problem.

Some Other Implications of the Concept

Further development of the concept may require radically different thinking.
For example, rigorous analysis would presumably involve rejection of the
perceived dimensions of space and time and the concept of spacetime itself,
which is mathematically derived from these perceptions, as well as restructuring
of those formulae of physics that involve space and time.

The problem of dispensing with the ingrained perceptions of space and time as
basic dimensions is indeed daunting. In this paper, I could not avoid using
terms related to space and time and implying that tise may have three
large-scale dimensions, with additional small-scale dimensions related to the
energy associated with tisons. Since space and time must be rejected in the tise
concept, it is not clear whether the present understanding of dimensions (which
began with the perceptions of three dimensions of space and one
dimension of time) will ultimately be useful and valid in analysis of the tise
concept.

Tisons, in this concept, are the carriers of all electromagnetic energy, not
just radiant energy. This, of course, includes energy in the form of matter. In
this concept, Einstein's famous equation can be stated
simply as E=M, because c may be assigned the value of unity
simply by changing the size of the arbitrary units of measurement of our
perceptions of distance and time.

The tise concept implies that all matter consists of energized tisons, with
the energy quanta transferring among tisons innumerable times at the smallest
scale of nature, presumably the Planck scale. In this case, at this scale,
everything in the universe would be in motion at the speed of light.

If the tise concept is valid, a certain condition exists only at the smallest
scale of nature but everywhere in the Universe. There, the paths of tisons must converge
and diverge very strongly, from and to every direction, at the speed of light.
It appears that this Planck-scale effect of tise may relate to “the core
principle of quantum mechanics, the uncertainty principle, which implies a wild,
tumultuous, turbulent, environment on the tiniest of scales” (Greene p.335).
However, I will leave any further speculation on that possible point of
similarity between the tise concept and quantum mechanics to others more
familiar with the latter.

In this concept, tise is much more than the source of our time and space
perceptions and the medium in which matter and energy exist. I submit that tise
is the dynamic fabric that makes matter and the Universe possible, and a key to
understanding the Universe as well as the smallest scale of nature.

Finally, I cannot resist speculating on one possible cosmological implication
of the tise concept, even though many may question it as, at least, premature.
As previously discussed, gravitation, in this concept, may result from
annihilation of tisons by matter. Since nature tends to be symmetrical, the
agents of this annihilation may be antitisons emitted by matter, in which case
the source of tisons may be antimatter! Antimatter, of course, is generally
considered to be (inexplicably) rare in the Universe. Within this concept,
however, while concentrations of matter would deplete tise and thereby coalesce
into clusters of galaxies, essentially eliminating antimatter in the vicinity,
regions of concentration of antimatter would generate tise and would therefore
appear to expand, forming huge “voids” containing highly dispersed antimatter.

This might ultimately explain the immense bubble-shaped, and apparently
empty, “voids” surrounded by clusters of galaxies, as well as the apparent
rarity of antimatter in the universe. Thus, the contraction of tise within
clusters of galaxies may be offset by expansion of tise within the “voids”. An
obvious test of this implication would be the detection of an adequate
concentration of antimatter in the “voids” (which may not be easy) or a
relatively greater tise expansion rate in the “voids”. Based on symmetry, our
antiuniverse, in this case, would consist of clustered galaxies of antimatter
surrounding huge “voids” of dispersed matter, all existing in antitise. Such a
universe would presumably be internally indistinguishable from ours.

But enough speculation. Although the basic tise concept may be difficult to
develop mathematically or to verify or falsify, I submit that further
exploration by others is warranted by its potential for leading to a better
understanding of nature and its potential for being vital to the development of
a completely unified theory.

Acknowledgements

I gratefully acknowledge the constructive criticism of earlier revisions of
this paper by others, especially Asim O. Barut and Mendel Sachs, but I do not
intend to imply that they expressed any opinion regarding this concept.

References

Einstein, Albert: Relativity; the Special and General Theory, 15th ed., Crown
Publications, 1952

Greene, Brian: The Fabric of the Cosmos; Space, Time and the Texture of
Reality, Random House, 2004